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Rohith Vemula took his own life on 17 January 2016. Two years on, The Quint reached out to his friends at Hyderabad Central University who were expelled with him, and Vemula’s family.
With their memories, Vemula’s kin paint a picture of who he was, what shaped him, and the man whose death became a turning point in the Dalit rights movement.
Rohith’s mother, Radhika, was only allowed to study till the 10th grade by her adoptive mother, Anjani Devi. At the age of 14, she was married off to Mani Kumar, a member of the OBC Vaddera community, and gave birth to Rohith. She recalls Rohith’s childhood, blaming herself for his loneliness.
Professor Karthik Bittu, former temporary faculty at Hyderabad Central University and one of Rohith's friends, remembers Rohith as an intelligent, deeply loyal young man who cared strongly about injustices.
Room 207 of Hyderabad Central University (HCU), where Rohith took his own life, belonged to Uma Maheshwar. After his eviction from the HCU hostel, Rohith used to often spend time in room 207, studying and researching for his PhD doctoral review committee.
Vijay Kumar & Seshiah Chemudugunta were banned from the hostels of HCU along with Rohith Vemula. What Seshiah and Vijay, both PhD scholars at HCU, say about their experiences during their youth might make it clear why being banned from the college's hostels and facilities struck a painful chord for them.
Video Editor: Punit Bhatia
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